Taiwan makes public new rules of engagement, to be tested in Han Kuang drills

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Tuesday made public its rules of engagement (ROE) that were revised last year amid Chinese incursions and said they will be tested for the first time in live-fire military drills later this month.

These rules have been summarized on a card that will be given to troops participating in the annual Han Kuang exercises July 22-26 and tested during the five days, said Major General Tung Chi-hsing (董冀星) at a Ministry of National Defense (MND) press briefing.

Taiwan's rules of engagement were formally established in 2017, but they were revised again in 2023 and distributed internally following repeated incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone by Chinese warplanes, drones and balloons.

The rules provide guidance to troops on the kinds of scenarios under which they are authorized to use their weapons while also acting in a legal and ethical manner in times of conflict.

According to the rules made public for the first time at Tuesday's briefing, a Taiwanese soldier is entitled to engage in self-defense and legally attack combatants declared by the military as an enemy or hostile force or any force that shows hostile intent.

Soldiers are also required to protect with force fellow members of the armed forces, designated key infrastructure, war prisoners and detainees, and NGO workers and volunteers, the rules said.

They also remind troops to follow the principles of the Law of War, including "proportionality," which limits engagements to what is required to decisively counter a hostile act or a force demonstrating hostile intent.

In effect, soldiers' decisions and actions should avoid causing unnecessary suffering to the enemy as well as to civilians and noncombatants involved, the rules said.

According to Tung, who is in charge of the MND's combat and planning affairs, the ROE released Tuesday are general principles applicable to all Taiwanese troops.

Each military unit will add other instructions based on the specific nature of their duties or purpose of a specific mission they are carrying out, if necessary, he added.

Meanwhile, Tung also announced that unlike in past years when the Han Kuang drills were primarily conducted during the day, this year's drills will also be held at night to test the armed forces' 24-hour defense capabilities.

He said the drills will also test the military's decentralized command structure by stressing units' decision-making capabilities in scenarios simulating the loss of contact with central command during wartime.

The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan's largest-scale military drills, are held annually in two stages. This year's 40th edition began with the tabletop (computer) war games phase, conducted from April 19 to 26.

The Han Kuang exercises have been held annually since 1984 to test Taiwan's combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.